This invention is directed to a handle which is attached to a container, such as a bottle, to enable a consumer to easily lift and carry the container with one hand.
Some bottles, such as two-liter bottles, are difficult to grasp and carry with one hand because of their relatively large diameter. Handling the bottle with one hand by children or adults with smaller hands is especially difficult.
Several add-on handles have been suggested for consumer use. Such handles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,647,624; 5,467,915; 4,779,731; 4,498,620; 4,396,128; 4,286,714; 4,269,314; and 3,258,288.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,624 discloses a handle which is adhesively secured to a bottle, such as two-liter bottle, and has a fold-out handle region formed from a flat rectangular device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,915 discloses a handle which is adhesively secured to a bottle and has a handle region which expands outwardly from the bottle to allow a consumer's hand to be placed thereunder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,314 discloses a plastic handle which is adhesively secured to a bottle which relies on the inherent stretch of the plastic material to elevate the handle away from the bottle when a consumer places his or her hand thereunder. U.S. Pat. No. 3,258,288 discloses a handle which is secured to a bottle and has a hinge to permit a consumer to place his or her hand thereunder and to elongate the handle.
The remaining patents listed above disclose different techniques of adhesively securing a handle to a container.